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Sunday, 20 May 2012

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Salty caramel cheesecake. Just those words strike fear in any dieters heart, but joy in mine. There's no greater contrast than the sticky sweetness of the caramel, with savoury undertones making it deeply addictive. Crushed amaretti biscuits form the base of the cheesecake, lending its almond flavour to the otherwise plain cheesecake filling.

It's not the kind of cheesecake you can plough through in one sitting with a spoon. This stuff is rich. Decadence doesn't even come near it. Thin slices are the way forward, unless you want to lie beached on your couch like I currently am.

I used a pie dish as I seem to have lost my cake tin, so if you have one I'd recommend using a springform cake tin to make it easier to remove.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Melt the butter and toss with the Amaretti biscuits and the sugar. Press into and up the sides of a greased pie dish / springform cake tin measuring 9" across the base. Bake for 15 minutes, until browned (I left mine in a little too long so keep an eye on it). Remove and leave to cool.

In a mixer, attach the paddle attachment and mix the cream cheese and the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat well, then add each egg, beating well in between. Add the cream and mix well.

Turn the oven down to 160 degrees C. Spoon into the cooled biscuit base and bake for 60 mins. By then it should have puffed up and have lost some of the wobble. Remove and leave to cool. Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce.

In a large saucepan (don't be tempted to use a small one, you want some good whisking space) heat the sugar up until it has all melted, stirring occasionally so that it melts evenly. Add the butter in and whisk well until incorporated. It may look lumpy and a bit gross at this point. Whisk in the cream, poured in a steady stream. Cook gently while whisking until smooth and silky - this may take a few minutes. Add the salt and then taste - carefully, it'll be molten - and add more if you think it needs it. I like my caramel quite salty. Leave to cool.

Spoon the caramel onto the cooled cheesecake and put it in the fridge for at least an hour. When serving, sprinkle the top with sea salt flakes.

Salted caramel AND cheesecake. Be still my beating heart! Actually, not sure how long my heart would remain beating after a cake like this... It;s the sort that would have me squatting on the kitchen floor, eating it with my hands, a wild look in my eye.

It looks and sounds delicious. *goes to have a quiet lie down somewhere calm*

i dont care how many calories are in it- i LOVE this- and i love that you created a recipe for it. anything that has a contrast of salty and sweet is a winner in my view. love salted caramel, like you. great recipe, Lizzie. x s